Description
Book SynopsisWhat greater pride might a young man feel than to serve shoulder to shoulder with his friends in time of war? To enlist into the army with his pals, chums, mates, filling the ranks of battalions that drew their strength from the local community, from amongst factory workers, miners, shop-workers and tradesmen. In August 1914, what more fitting role was there to play than to answer the country's call to arms?The past is another country, of course: the world in which these men grew up and the mores that took them to the Western Front might appear innocent and naive today. The Somme battle eviscerated many of these free-spirited battalions. But the raising of this New Army a purely volunteer army lives on in the public consciousness, their collective story part of our heritage.Who were these volunteers who poured into recruiting offices, overwhelming the staff? What motivated these men too often just boys - to join up? How did they feel about one another and the new military regime int
